It’s been a few great years as Nerdstalking , but it is time for a change. Bill and Chad have decided to move around in different arenas (actually, Bill decided Chad wasn’t nerdy enough). Going forward, Nerdstalking will be rebranded as Cheap Thrills Productions and while we will continue to record podcasts from time to …

There’s a dearth of genuine people in Hollywood; Canadian actor-comedian John Candy was surely one of them. Larger than life on the screen, Candy passed away from a heart attack in 1994. But in his formidalbe wake he left a library of quality movies and television, so in this episode Bill and Chad remember such classics as Uncle Buck, Summer Rental, Planes, Trains and Automobiles, and others.

Show Notes:03:39 – Uncle Buck.06:03 – The language of real life.07:08 – By way of comparison: Uncle Buck vs. Parenthood.11:38 – Really hits home watching the movie after having kids.13:56 – Losing John Candy was like losing a close friend.14:53 – Johnny LaRue16:04 – The toothpick guy.18:30 – One problem with Uncle Buck.19:25 – Planes, Trains and Automobiles.21:37 – YOU’RE GOING THE WRONG WAY!!24:43 – Summer Rental.30:49 – Stripes.36:13 – The Great Outdoors. (I meant to say spin cycle, not rinse cycle – Bill)43:13 – Only the Lonely + the unbearable ‘acting’ of Ally Sheedy.46:19 – By way of comparison: Molly Ringwald.49:55 – The Canadian Conspiracy.

After appearing in Star Wars Episode VIII: The Last Jedi in a major role as rebel technician Rose Tico, Kelly Marie Tran has supposedly removed all of her posts on Instagram due to intense harassment and racist comments on her feed. But is this really the case? And is it the best course of action in the face of Internet trolls and a-holes? We talk it out in this episode, and for a positive spin Chad also points out some quality movies and TV shows he’s been watching.

Show Notes:
03:33 – Don’t accentuate the negative and eliminate the positive.04:49 – The Deadpool hypothesis.07:32 – The power of the dark side.08:51 – The problem of anonymity.13:05 – Case in point: How Nerdstalking handles criticism in its feeds.16:51 – Was trolling the REAL reason for Tran to drop off Instagram?21:09 – The price of stardom.22:52 – The democracy of numbers.25:18 – Chad’s entertainment choices starts.25:28 – Remake of The Magnificent Seven.25:55 – The Killjoys.27:36 – You can’t watch TV shows with your Mother these days.29:07 – Curb Your Enthusiasm.31:04 – Orphan Black.40:18 – John Wick 2: Electric Boogaloo.43:07 – The movie of the Planet of the Apes.

People are asking, “Why make a Han Solo prequel movie?” Disney answers, “Where is the money, Lebowski?” So here we are reviewing a movie that doesn’t really have a reason for existing. Or maybe, it exists so that we can review it! Like we do down below.

Show Notes:05:05 – Solo‘s so-low box office performance.07:37 – So much empty fan service.08:18 – There’s no reason for this movie to exist.10:11 – They blew their chance to really inform the character of Han Solo.15:19 – The fabeled Kessel Run.19:15 – When Han met Chewie.22:55 – The weird Lando moment.27:44 – Is this the Disneyfied Star Wars we all feared?28:38 – Donald Glover wasn’t that great, but Alden Ehrenreich was pretty good!31:34 – Mother of Drag-ons.33:59 – Is Cersei from Game of Thrones a blonde or red-head?36:22 – Trump Blonde, now in the hair-colour aisle.37:06 – Shitty cinematography.38:10 – Han definitely shoots first.39:09 – Lando needs a smaller card hider.40:07 – Darth Maul and his baby legs.47:46 – Han was Han for a brief, shining moment.49:15 – Final verdict.

For the love of Yentl, please take some time and listen to our review of Deadpool 2, starring the most potty-mouthed Marvel superhero after Logan, pre-impalement. You’ll totter on baby legs, gasp at the X-Force’s first mission, and laugh all the way to the Xavier mansion. Two disclaimers: We had an audio glitch for the first bit of the podcast, and we explore every nook and cranny of Deadpool and his movie, so SPOILER ALERT!

Killah cockroaches! A new ice-age! Blossoming mushroom clouds! This episode, Bill and Chad crawl out of their underground bunker and survey the blasted and irradiated landscape of post-apocalyptic films. You maniacs! You blew it up!

Show Notes:01:11 – The end is nigh! The apocalyptic Doug Ford.02:44 – Chad reveals the horrific political skeleton in his closet.04:24 – A definition of the term “post-apocalyptic”.05:45 – Environmental apocalypse: The Lorax.07:07 – The inevitable zombie apocalypse: 28 Days Later and Dawn of the Dead.16:17 – Escape from New York.17:45 – Still trying to get a grip on the meaning of “post-apocalyptic”.20:45 – A Boy and his Dog.30:40 – The Mad Max films.34:48 – Damnation Alley.39:00 – Snowpiercer.45:09 – Yet more defining of “post-apocalyptic”.47:39 – The 70’s Charlton Heston post-apocalyptic cycle.53:01 – Mortal Engines.

Movie critics are people (until A.I. takes over), and sometimes people make terrible mistakes… like atomic weaponry, President Donald Trump, and now the movie reviews for Bright, starring Will Smith and Joel Edgerton as a human and orc cop team out to save the world from devious, magical elves. David Ayers’ alternate world buddy-cop film drew heavy fire from critics, but is it deserved? Chad and Bill dive deep to illuminate you on this Netflix original movie. The usual caveat: we give our typical very thorough look at the film and its meanings, so SPOILER ALERT!

Show Notes:
01:23 – Did we mention that critics suck?06:02 – The Suicide Squad effect.07:58 – More great worldbuilding.11:51 – The story of Bright.14:53 – Will Smith is very Will Smith-ish.18:04 – A character named ‘Serling’.19:45 – A very ethereal Noomi Rapace.21:50 – The Ward vs. his Co-Workers scene.29:53 – The unused wife.31:55 – Funny scene: Jakoby spills the beans.35:18 – True Detective is Putin’s favourite show.38:15 – David Ayers has redeemed himself.41:14 – Hoping for more stories in this world.43:18 – Slight digression: Heath Ledger as The Joker.